There are instances where color bleeding (a purple fringe) is visually recognized in an image obtained by imaging using a digital still camera or the like. If a contour (an edge) exhibiting a large difference in luminance is present in a captured image owing to imaging of a high-luminance subject (e.g., a light source), a purple fringe readily occurs at the periphery of the image edge.
According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-268033, bleeding is reduced by making the amount of bleed of a blue (B) signal (the slope of the signal quantity) the same as that of a green (G) signal. However, in the case of an image in which a green-color background exists about the periphery of a white light source, the slope of blue (B) is much steeper than the slope of green (G). In such case there is the possibility that a gray color will be produced if the amount of color bleed of the blue (B) signal (the slope of the signal quantity) is made the same as that of the green (G) signal. Further, color continuity becomes unnatural in the vicinity of image portions where the amount of bleed has been changed.
According to International Publication No. WO2005/101854, it is described that purple fringing is made inconspicuous by lowering the saturation of areas in which purple fringing occurs. The color of an area in which purple fringing occurs remains the color purple. Further, if saturation is reduced partially, color continuity becomes unnatural in the vicinity of the area in which purple fringing occurs.